I've said this before, you can't ban fighting unless NHL refereeing is better. As mentioned by Joborule above, banning fighting will increase stick work, banning stick work will increase blindside hits. You have to defend somehow and if the ref isn't calling fouls properly, then players have to push the boundaries.
You guys always ask, why do players (like Trouba) have to defend themselves after a clean hit? Because players and refs don't know what is a clean hit and what is not and it happens in an instant. In the NFL you see receivers get smoked going across the middle, you don't see fights break out afterwards. The refs and instant replay deal with it.
I've used this example from 15 years ago. Matt Cooke bumps Kiprusoff after the whistle. That's a penalty. The penalty should be the deterrent. If the ref doesn't call it, then Regher has to punch Cooke in the face so that he'll cut it out. There is no other solution.
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Watching the Oilers defend is like watching fire engines frantically rushing to the wrong fire
Last edited by GirlySports; 02-29-2020 at 09:37 AM.
I also very much enjoy combat sports, big MMA fan.
I don't watch hockey for fighting. I watch fighting for fighting.
There are no shortage of ways to watch fights, I don't need it in hockey.
It is so dumb in my mind. Bare knuckle boxing on ice with razor blades. If you say it out loud it sounds like a MadTV sketch.
Well safety is not of importance in the hockey culture, and they do a lot of stupid stuff as a result. It's madness that they don't play with face masks considering the risks to their face. Pucks and sticks have, and will continue to hit them in the face, and skates are also another big risk.
Agree with girlysports. Unless you start assigning video replay retroactive penalties, the refs can never do an adequate job. There are plays you can’t see on TV, pretty much only from up close. I recall watching LA Sean Avery waiting for the ref to turn their head. The second that happened, he forcefully upward-speared Huselius in the armpit. Subtle motion, but elicited a painful response while Sean appeared cool as a cucumber. Remove fighting, and the Averys and cookes proliferate.
What if the removal of fighting started form the bottom up.
CHL and CJHL took hard lines on fighting.
Get in a fight and face a 5 game suspension, that increases each fight. At some point the number of players entering the pro-ranks with "fighting skills" would decrease.
There is nothing more uneasy that going to a WHL game and seeing grown men yell and scream when to teenager boys are punching each other in the face.
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Did I miss something? Chances are Steve's concussion problems were from hockey hits not fights, should we ban hitting?
This is stupid, other than this Kessy guy getting tagged on the chin name one other concussion injury this year from a fight, Jesus, name one the last 5 years. And if you do find one I'll find 25 more concussions from hockey hits.
Montador had 15 documented concussions during his career, but probably others that weren't tracked. They were a combination of fights and hits.
And yes I've said that the definition of body checking also needs to change.
Montador had 15 documented concussions during his career, but probably others that weren't tracked. They were a combination of fights and hits.
And yes I've said that the definition of body checking also needs to change.
That is the fear of hockey fans though, that hockey turns into basketball where it's all about positioning. You can't remove a player from the ball in basketball like in hockey, you actually have to steal it. Hockey is also twice as fast and on skates so any type of body contact puts the other player off balanced.
Whereas in basketball, if Shaq plants his feet, it doesn't matter how hard you hit him. you can only positionally defend him.
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Watching the Oilers defend is like watching fire engines frantically rushing to the wrong fire
Like smoking while pregnant, or even smoking inside an airplane, movie theater, restaurant etc.. one day we will look back at fighting and wonder why the #### it was ever even allowed in the first place.
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What if the removal of fighting started form the bottom up.
CHL and CJHL took hard lines on fighting.
Get in a fight and face a 5 game suspension, that increases each fight. At some point the number of players entering the pro-ranks with "fighting skills" would decrease.
There is nothing more uneasy that going to a WHL game and seeing grown men yell and scream when to teenager boys are punching each other in the face.
Especially when one is 17 and one is 20.
The Q is considering a ban on fighting:
Quote:
Development leagues outside Canada, like the NCAA in the United States and leagues in Europe, tend to have stricter penalties for fighting. The International Ice Hockey Federation also has an automatic game misconduct for fighting. An NCAA player called for fighting sits out the rest of the game as well as another full game.
Courteau says the QMJHL’s primary objective is to protect the athletes.
“My main goal is to implement new rules to improve player safety,” said Courteau. “That’s the focal point of this discussion. Whether it’s fighting, blind-side hits, head shots, we’re carefully looking at all of that.”
Added Ronald Thibault, general manager of the Sherbrooke Phoenix: “It may sound strange, but what we’re trying to do is keep our players safe. There are divergent opinions on how to protect players. That’s it.”
The debate amongst QMJHL front offices comes a time when there is increased scrutiny on the dangers of concussions and head injuries, especially with players in their teens.
My opinion on fighting has changed drastically in the last decade with the more we've learned about head injuries.
It's about empathy for your fellow man.
At this point it is bizarre to me. Fighting is as illegal as boarding or hitting from behind, and yet there isn't much of a chorus about Boarding being integral to the game.
There should be a quality of life after hockey. Just because they are being paid millions of dollars doesn't mean 37 year old players should be walking around with traumatic brain injuries.
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^Yup. "Entertaining" as it was described.
I have no idea what is entertaining about watching someone get fed shots to the head when they clearly can't protect themselves.
What fun!
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^Yup. "Entertaining" as it was described.
I have no idea what is entertaining about watching someone get fed shots to the head when they clearly can't protect themselves.
What fun!
Bullying isn’t the same as fighting. Zach assian is a bully.
I’m not going to get into the reasons, cause I’m lazy and dont like typing on a phone, but yes it’s time to start aggressively phasing it out of the game.
I’d be on-board with introducing Game Misconducts for fights next season, followed by completely eliminating them (escalating suspensions for fighting) in 4-5 years.
I’m not going to get into the reasons, cause I’m lazy and dont like typing on a phone, but yes it’s time to start aggressively phasing it out of the game.
I’d be on-board with introducing Game Misconducts for fights next season, followed by completely eliminating them (escalating suspensions for fighting) in 4-5 years.
This is what I'd like too see as well, a game misconduct for a fight. I think it would be a good middle ground and eliminate alot of fights while still allowing it in the game a bit
I’m not going to get into the reasons, cause I’m lazy and dont like typing on a phone, but yes it’s time to start aggressively phasing it out of the game.
I’d be on-board with introducing Game Misconducts for fights next season, followed by completely eliminating them (escalating suspensions for fighting) in 4-5 years.
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Originally Posted by flamesfan1297
This is what I'd like too see as well, a game misconduct for a fight. I think it would be a good middle ground and eliminate alot of fights while still allowing it in the game a bit
When fighting does start to get phased out by the rules, a game misconduct may not be enough if they want to prevent players from getting too testy in late stages of games that are blowouts, and with nothing to lose by leaving the game earlier.
It should be a game misconduct and a one game suspension to make players think twice.
When fighting does start to get phased out by the rules, a game misconduct may not be enough if they want to prevent players from getting too testy in late stages of games that are blowouts, and with nothing to lose by leaving the game earlier.
It should be a game misconduct and a one game suspension to make players think twice.
Agreed. I coach Minor hockey and the rule is that if you get a game misconduct in the last 10 minutes of the game you are locked out for the remainder,as well as the next game. Perhaps something like this would work?
Agreed. I coach Minor hockey and the rule is that if you get a game misconduct in the last 10 minutes of the game you are locked out for the remainder,as well as the next game. Perhaps something like this would work?
It already exists in a sense. Instigator penalty in last 5 minutes of a game results in a one game suspension and a fine for the coach.
Personally it seems to me like fighting is just going to almost disappear without any further intervention.
In 2010 The Red Wings were last in the league in fights with 19. A handful of teams had almost a fight per game that season.
Fast forward to this season, and although it isn't finished yet, there are only 3 teams with 19 or more fights, and maybe ten teams altogether get to that mark.
At the bottom of the list you have Arizona and Buffalo with 3 fights a piece. Carolina has 5. St.Louis 6.
There are only 3 guys in the league with more than 5 fights, and around 60 guys with more than 1 fight.
That means there are around 700 guys in the NHL that have one fight or less this season.
The number of fights is going to continue to drop because the newer waves of players just don't fight.
I have trouble believing that a fight or two per year, per player, is going to put the offenders at a high risk of traumatic brain injuries. Certainly not higher than actually playing the game.
This isn't dancing circus bears trained as fighters first and players second fighting 20+ times per season anymore.
With the fighting rates going the way that they are, I personally don't see a compelling reason to facilitate the end of fighting in hockey.
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^ Interesting, thanks. I didn't know about the instigator in the last 5 minute rule until now. Those number of fights statistics are interesting as well, I'd didn't know they had dropped that drastically
